The Malicious Injuries to Property Act 1827 ( 7 & 8 Geo. 4. c. 30) was an Act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

. It was one of

Peel's Acts Peel's Acts (as they are commonly known) were Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. They consolidated provisions from a large number of earlier statutes which were then repealed. Their purpose was to simplify the criminal law. The term re ...

, replacing the provisions abolished in the

Criminal Statutes Repeal Act 1827 The Criminal Statutes Repeal Act 1827 (7 & 8 Geo. 4. c. 27) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was one of Peel's Acts, consolidating, repealing and replacing a large number of existing statutes. Listed in section 1 of the ...

- both Acts came into effect on 1 July 1827. It applied only to England, not Scotland or Ireland (sections 42–43). All those committing an offence under the Act could be apprehended without a warrant by the property's owner, his or her servant, anyone authorised by the owner or any "Peace Officer" (section 28). All its provisions applied whether or not it was committed from malice against the property's owner (section 25) and to principals in the first and second degrees and all accessories (section 26). Prosecutions were to be brought within three months of the offence (section 29). Any of its provisions from imprisonment could also be upgraded to hard labour (section 27). The Act also outlined the summoning of offenders (sections 30–31) and the administration of its punishments (sections 32–33), pardons, discharges, convictions and appeals under it (sections 34–39), record-keeping of convictions (section 40) and where and how such offences were to be tried (section 41). It instituted the death penalty for maliciously setting fire to homes, workplaces, granaries and both Anglican and

Dissenting Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual. A dissenting person may be referred to as ...

churches and chapels (sections 2 and 8) and for setting fire to a ship, wrecking by false lights and destroying shipwrecked cargo (sections 9 and 11). However, damage to a ship by means other than fire (section 10) or damage to rivers, canals, harbours or sea defences (section 12) only brought imprisonment or transportation. The Act also responded to the

Luddites The Luddites were a secret oath-based organisation of English textile workers in the 19th century who formed a radical faction which destroyed textile machinery. The group is believed to have taken its name from Ned Ludd, a legendary weaver s ...

and their hostility to the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

and Agricultural Revolution, setting penalties of

transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...

or imprisonment for damaging textile goods and factory or farm machinery, with the addition of public or private whipping for male offenders (sections 3–4). Similar punishments were put in place for flooding or setting fire to coal mines and their associated machinery and structures, unless this was done accidentally in working a neighbouring mine (sections 5–7). It also covered damage to public bridges, turnpike gates and toll houses (sections 13–14), dams, fishponds and millponds (section 15), cattle, crops, hay, hops and fruit (sections 16–22) and fences, walls, stiles and gates (section 23). The Act also instituted compensation for offences to property not covered by its other sections (section 24).

References

*Hansard United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1827 {{UK-statute-stub